Gu Xingdong was meticulous when beating people, favoring soft spots. It was estimated that Wei Gang wouldn't recover from his injuries for at least ten days to half a month, but Gu Xingdong had at least shown some restraint, focusing his blows on Wei Gang's body and avoiding his face.
...
"What? You want me to go back to my hometown?" Old Mrs. Wei exploded the moment her son suggested sending her away. "You ungrateful brat! I've given birth to you, done all the work for you, and now you think your mother is a nuisance? Have you no conscience?"
Wei Gang felt a pang of guilt at his mother's scolding, but he pressed on, "Mom, please, I'm begging you. Because of your actions, my superiors have inquired about the matter today. Can you stand by and watch your son's military transfer be revoked?"
Even if it was just to appease Gu Xingdong and his wife, Wei Gang knew he had to send his mother away.
Wang Yufen, overhearing their conversation, felt a surge of joy, biting her lip several times to suppress a smile.
Seeing that the situation was settled and further protest would be futile, Old Mrs. Wei glanced at Wang Yufen, who stood silently beside them, and said resentfully, "Fine, I'll go back. But I don't trust this woman. Besides sending me half of your monthly salary, you must also mail half of my grain and cloth coupons. Those are for me. Otherwise, I won't leave, even if you beat me to death."
Wang Yufen, who had been basking in her happiness, was stunned by Old Mrs. Wei's words.
...
"The Wei family's old lady is finally gone." As soon as she heard that Old Mrs. Wei had left, Lin Xiaoyue, carrying her child, eagerly came to tell Chen Lishu the good news.
"You don't know, but the fact that Old Mrs. Wei is leaving is also partly thanks to your Captain Gu."
Chen Lishu paused her laundry, asking in confusion, "What does he have to do with it?"
Lin Xiaoyue pursed her lips and smiled, "I heard it from my husband, Old Wu. Your Captain Gu knew you were being bullied and specifically asked Instructor Wei to help you out."
Then, Lin Xiaoyue recounted everything she had heard from Wu Zheng to Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu was surprised that Gu Xingdong had done all this behind her back, and she felt both amused and touched.
So, when Gu Xingdong came closer that evening, Chen Lishu not only did not refuse him but also wrapped her arms around his neck and proactively kissed him.
If she had known that this kiss would lead to a reaction from someone later that was akin to a mountain's roar and a sea's surge, Chen Lishu would have pretended she knew nothing.
Alas, there is no such thing as knowing beforehand.
...
"Liyuan, let Big Sister take you to the city today. We can also visit your school and get you familiarized with it."
After breakfast, Chen Lishu rubbed her sore waist and said to Chen Liyuan.
"Okay." Chen Liyuan's eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing her school.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Chen Lishu slung her bag over her shoulder and took the bus to the city with Chen Liyuan.
The school Chen Liyuan had applied to was some distance from Chen Lishu's school, but it was quite close to Xu Ning's medical university, only a twenty-minute walk away.
As school hadn't started yet, the school gate was locked, preventing them from entering. They only walked around the perimeter.
Afterward, Chen Lishu took her to the department store.
It had four floors. While not particularly tall, its interior decor was enough to amaze Chen Liyuan.
"Big Sister, there are so many things sold here. It's much more impressive than the department store in our hometown."
"It's the provincial capital, after all. When there's an opportunity, I'll take you to the Overseas Chinese Store. They have even more things there."
A place with more goods than the department store was something Chen Liyuan could barely imagine.
As they chatted, Chen Lishu led her to buy socks first.
Socks at that time were mostly grey, black, or white nylon. Although the colors weren't attractive and they didn't require cloth coupons, the price wasn't cheap, costing at least over two yuan per pair.
"Big Sister, these are too expensive. Let's forget it." Although the socks on her feet were already patched multiple times, she felt they could last another two years.
"You're going to school now, and there will be many people living in the dormitory. It's not good to wear patched socks. Listen to me, we're not short of this little money." Chen Lishu said, buying her three pairs of socks at once.
"Hey, Xiaohui, isn't that a university student from our compound? I didn't expect to see her here." A girl around twenty years old excitedly said to Lin Xiaohui upon seeing Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu was the only university student from the military dependents' area. Though she was unaware of it, many people had noticed her.
Lin Xiaohui followed the direction her companion pointed and saw it was indeed Chen Lishu, accompanied by a girl of sixteen or seventeen. Remembering what her sister Lin Xiaoyue had said, she guessed it might be Chen Lishu's sister.
Because that girl was also going to school, her sister Lin Xiaoyue had often urged her to review and take the university entrance exam.
However, Lin Xiaohui felt she already had a job and earned over twenty yuan a month, so she couldn't be bothered to listen to Lin Xiaoyue.
Seeing Chen Lishu and her sister heading to the third floor, Lin Xiaohui, after paying for her sandals, followed them to the third floor on impulse.
There was a counter on the third floor selling ready-made clothes. Since they didn't have a sewing machine at home, Chen Lishu decided to buy two sets of clothes for Chen Liyuan.
In fact, although it was a ready-made clothing counter, there weren't many clothes hanging on the shelves, and the styles weren't particularly attractive.
"Comrade, please take down that skirt for me to look at." After looking for a while, Chen Lishu felt that a pink checkered dress was quite nice. She pointed to it and said to the salesclerk.
"Comrade, you have good taste. This is a newly arrived style. There were only a few of them, and the others are sold out. This is the last one left, so it will definitely fit you." The salesclerk introduced with a smile.
Chen Lishu nodded, held it up against Chen Liyuan, and felt the size was about right. She asked, "Comrade, how much is this skirt?"
"Seventeen yuan, plus three feet of cloth coupons."
Upon hearing that a skirt cost seventeen yuan and required three feet of cloth coupons, Chen Liyuan immediately shook her head like a rattle, waving her hands repeatedly. "Too expensive!"
If this money and cloth coupons were in her hometown, they could make a whole outfit. She quickly reached out to pull Chen Lishu, "Big Sister, the price is too high. I don't lack clothes, so let's just forget it."
"I think this color suits you well. After all, you're going to college. Consider it a reward gift from Big Sister."
Chen Liyuan was still reluctant to spend so much money on a skirt. She pointed to a piece of dark blue plain cloth on another counter, "Big Sister, that fabric is cheaper. Why don't we buy it and make it ourselves?"
"Comrade, do you still want this skirt?" The salesclerk, hearing Chen Liyuan's words, turned her gaze to Chen Lishu and couldn't help but ask.
"Didn't you hear her say it's too expensive? They come from the countryside, after all. Ten-odd yuan for a skirt is not a small sum."
Lin Xiaohui stepped forward and looked at Chen Lishu and Chen Liyuan, sneering, "Let's go look at the cheaper fabric over there. Maybe if you're lucky, you can even get a discount."